The Trust Experiment

I’ve received a couple of emails and one phone call about the Honesty Project, which I have since decided to rename the Trust Experiment because I realized it’s a better fit for what it is all about. Thank you for your interest so far. I’m glad that you [insert big wide sweep of arms] are interested and supportive of my funny whims. :)

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile you know that there are some kinds of things that really appeal to me, things like community, randomness, and human behaviour.

I am the type of person who thinks a lot. I ask myself a lot of questions. I do a lot of wondering. Sometimes those questions are answered but more often they are not. I wonder what makes people do the things they do, how we express ourselves, and how we can all be different in some ways but incredibly alike in others.

I’m not sure where the idea for the Trust Experiment came from. I haven’t seen anything like it before. It just came to me. If you are standing under a tree and a leaf happens to fall, do you reach out and try to catch it? I do. The Trust Experiment is one of those falling leaves.

Before I explain it I want to point out that some people will think the Experiment is a waste of time. I would like to say, for the record, that I don’t really care. I’m doing this for myself and for myself only. And I thought it might be cool to take a few other people (like you!) along for the ride and write about it here.

It could be a long project. It could be short. But that depends on a bunch of different things including: community, randomness, and human behaviour.

Ha. I just reread what I wrote. I’ve made it out to seem a lot bigger than it actually is.

The Trust Experiment = one old wallet which contains a ten dollar bill and a note. I will leave it in my favourite neighborhood coffeeshop, hopefully, if management is cool with the idea, it will reside at the Bridgehead on Richmond Road near the MEC.

Here’s what the note will say:

Hello,

You have just stumbled upon the Trust Experiment.

I have put ten dollars in this wallet. It was deliberately left here on [date]. I will be checking it once a day to see if it’s still here. At the end of the experiment the money will be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Obviously, this experiment ends if the wallet or the money disappears. It might last a day or a month. I have no idea, but that’s what I’d like to find out.

If you’re reading this, please sign the bottom of this sheet to let me know when you were here. Although you are not required to do so you may add money to the wallet, but you must first accept the risk that comes with leaving cold hard cash out in the open. The question is: do you trust?

– Will someone take the wallet? I’m hoping it can last at least 30 days.
– And what about the money? Will it disappear?
– Will anyone add any money?
– How many people will pick it up? Look inside? Sign the sheet?
– If the money is taken, who would take it? What were they thinking? (This would be pure speculation on my part, but still…)
– Regardless of the outcome, will be be fair to give it meaning? i.e. if the wallet goes missing on the first day can we chalk it up to bad luck or what?

edited to add: I was talking about this with someone yesterday and we debated the amount of “good” vs. “bad” people out there. Is it fair to say that the majority of us are “good” and wouldn’t take the wallet? Would you say 90% of us are “good” ? More? Less? Is it even fair to categorize people in this way? Do more “good” people hang out at my coffeeshop? Under what circumstances would someone take the wallet?

So, what do you think? What would you do if you saw the wallet? And would you consider hosting a Trust Experiment in your own neighborhood?

I am secretly hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but I think it’s best to go into this with no expectations whatsoever. That way I can’t be disappointed in the results.

Also very interested to see what goes on. The idea of ‘good’ vs. ‘bad’ people is interesting, too, because it becomes a question of what people will do when they know there is no chance of punishment – is there a difference between someone who simply follows the law and someone who goes beyond? Are they both ‘good’?

Finding out how this goes definitely will be something interesting. Great idea!

This is fun, Andrea. Only one suggestion, that if it goes missing one day, you might check it the following day because it may be returned to its place. I have had someone contact me with my lost wallet, that they had picked up and looked through in order to find contact information. I was extremely grateful. But someone might pick it up in an honorable attempt to return it to its owner before figuring out what it is.

Oh, sorry, kind of same thought as Ryan’s. It would be fun to film this, monitor the wallet, though I wonder how many people might take that into consideration, that they may be being watched in their decision what to do.

Interesting experiment. I knw that many I personally would bring it to the cash, so the folks at the coffee shop would have to willing to deal with the wallet. Will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

Want to hear a funny story about perceptions people have of each other. This has to do with beards. BIG Beards.

My husband the most HONEST man I know used ot grow a beard every winter. He wouldn’t shave or trim it so by the end of the winter he would have quite a scuffy look to himself. He went to a bank machine and had to wait because another Man was using it. The man looked up at my husband and quickly got he card and left. Glancing over his shoulder many many times. Jack never thought much of it until the man’s money and recipt came out. The banl being close my hubby took it in the next day and asked if they could tell from the recipt which account the money came from. They said yes and he gave the money and asked them to put in that man’s account.

My friend’s have the coolest ideas!!! andrea from the fish bowlhas started a fascinating experiment in human behaviour. She calls itThe Trust Experiment. Sheis taking an old wallet inserting a $10 bill and, after coordinating with the manager of her f…

Okay. It’s set to go today. I think I am going to tape a post-it to the top of the wallet that says “LOOK.” It might tempt more people to look inside instead of just turning it in (which is what I would do.) What do you think?

Day two. It’s still there! I had a meeting at Bridgehead at lunchtime and took a quick looksee. Unfortunately, the front counter was packed with people and I didn’t want to elbow my way in there to check the contents. BUT one of the Bridgehead staff told me someone put some money inside it! Yay! I am thrilled to bits.

“So what did you expect would happen?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean you’re not sure?”
“Just that, I’m not sure.”
“Well, you must have had some idea.”
“I guess …”
“Okay. Let me put it this way. What did you hope would happen?”
“I hoped that after a month the wallet and the money would still be there.”
“With how much money?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I was hoping to leave this experiment with eleven dollars. That’s it. I would have been extremely happy with eleven.”
“That’s only one extra dollar.”
“I know, but that’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
“I didn’t want the money to disappear.”
“But you knew that might happen.”
“Of course I did. But I was hoping that it wouldn’t.”
“And now …”
“As you know, it’s not there anymore. Wallet and all are gone.”
“You asked the staff … ”
“Yeah. They said it was there yesterday. Earlier that day the sum total contained in the wallet was $10.25. So I know that the letter was read by at least one person. And that at least one person trusted enough to put a quarter in there.”
“A quarter isn’t saying much you know.”
“That’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“At least one person trusted.”
“Does that make you a bit happier?”
“Yes, it does.”
“But you’re still disappointed, aren’t you? I know you.”
“I shouldn’t be, but I am. A little. Now I’m just wondering about the person who took the wallet. And I’ll never know the truth.”
“You, my dear, are a sentimental old fool.”

sorry, i am going to be a downer.
your experiment had preconceived expected outcomes.

If you wanted the funds in the wallet to grow, then you should have out a note on the table saying so, then watch what happens.

You said the experiment was about trust, not about investment and growth. You proved the trust factor, by all the people who walked by it and didn’t touch it! One adventourous and brave person picked it up and put something in it- that’s the person who would have stolen it if not for the note.

You actually proved the trusty thesis- that people are trustworthy, they’ll ignore a left behind walletm, thinking “Oh, some buddy’s left their wallet here.”

I’m in for the next ten bucks, i bet that the wallet shows up empty, waiting for another installment. If the wallet shows back up empty, i’ll mail you $10 bucks to put in it again, trusting that you won’t go down to Bridgehead (wot’s bridgehed precious?) and blow it on expensive trendoid coffee.

One adventourous and brave person picked it up and put something in it- that’s the person who would have stolen it if not for the note.

I disagree with that, actually. A lot of people will pick up an abandoned wallet or purse and check for ID so they can contact the owner and, thus, rescue the important item from disappearing with the less-trustworthy.

I don’t like the inference that someone picking up a wallet means they are not trustworthy.

This experiment has struck me as being similar in spirit to the swap boxes. People have seen them and used them, but there are a few bad apples who would rather destroy them and ruin it for everyone.

I’m sorry it turned out this way. Will you be trying it anywhere else to see if there is a different outcome in a different setting? Like a library or something?

Thanks for you comments everyone. I might go back again today or tomorrow and double-check to make sure it’s really gone.

As you could probably tell by my previous comment I’ve been fairly divided on the issue of the wallet’s disappearance.

This experiment doesn’t prove anything one way or another. I did it because I thought it would be interesting. Sandy, the experiment was about trust, and that was the main point. Could I trust that the wallet would stay there? Can I trust other people with it? Could other people share that trust too? The investment part was secondary, and was added partly as a carrot. Would someone be less likely to steal if it was for charity? And I certainly didn’t want to ask people to add money to the wallet and then keep it for myself.

The problem is that this was a very unscientific study. We don’t know how many people saw it, or how many took the extra step to pick it up and look inside. As Mark pointed out, all it takes is one person to ruin it. Perhaps ruin is a harsh word, let’s say, “change the outcome” instead, because we don’t know if the person who took it was poor, or not.

Despite the fact that my neighborhood lies on the tony side of the tracks, there are still needy people here. And transients. But that doesn’t mean that it was taken by someone who truly needed the money. It could have been someone who just looked inside and thought the whole thing was completely idiotic and that the money deserved to be taken.

“Ha! Ten bucks! Great!”

Anyway, yes. I might try it again. Liss, the library is a good idea, but I’m not close enough to our local branch to check it regularly. Perhaps at Starbucks this time? :)

I would love it if someone out there took this experiment and was able to beat the three day record.

Hey, what happened to my other comment? Bloody untrustworthy internet!

Hmm, I had said something like I’m sorry that the wallet disappeared, but still love the idea of the whole exercise. Very interesting to see what might happen with other locations, like the library or other coffee shops, but I would be uncomfortable with any conclusions extrapolated from your results.

This was not a scientific kind of study. Simply put, I wanted to know what would happen if I left a wallet out in the open. With cash in it. I found out that in this case it lasted three days. There are a million unanswered questions here i.e. how much money was in the wallet when it went missing? How many people saw it? How many people picked it up?

I think it goes without saying that we can’t extrapolate any reasonable kind of information about people (and their temptation to steal, or their desire to support this kind of project) from this result. But it still provides good fodder for discussion, doesn’t it?

Let’s put it this way: what would you do if you found a wallet? Let’s say it had ID inside it. And money. Is it okay to keep a small amount of money? (We’d have to define what small is exactly.) And if there was NO WAY that anyone would find out you’d taken the money, would you? And how would you justify this to yourself? When does the “finders keepers” rule apply and when does it not?

p.s. this experiment isn’t over yet. Stay tuned for the re-run. I am confident we can beat three days.

Oh good…I haven’t listened to your interview yet (my head is in a fog today…so tired) but I will. I really want this to work, I was so disappointed with ‘the first wallet’ results. Crossing my fingers.

Great news on day one of the Trust Experiment! We checked the wallet earlier this evening and there was over $24.00 in there! Wow! There were a lot of signatures and kind comments on the info sheet. I wish I’d brought my camera. When I check again tomorrow I will definitely bring it. I’m so excited!

Day two of the Trust Experiment: the wallet is still there. A bunch of people have signed the letter and added their comments. I didn’t count the money (don’t ask! I was in a rush) but someone added it up for me … there is now $37 in there. Yay!

Toronto version of the Trust Experiment.
Place wallet filled w/ credit cards, id and $100 in your coat pocket (aka 2 week’s spending money). Go to your neighbourhood S*bucks.
Sit and sip your beverage discussing business with your spouse for an hour and a half.
Get up to continue your lovely day and pray that some jerk hasn’t lifted your wallet.
My trust experiment failed.

Liss: I think a smart enough person could calculate the increase. :) I am torn. I really want this experiment to succeed. And I also really want CHEO to get the money. Mark suggested I take some money out as more money gets put in … but that wouldn’t be very trusting, would it?

Anyway, the wallet has been out there exactly a week. And it’s still there. And yes, there’s more money in it. And happily, more people have signed and added their comments added to the letter. I’m going to have to go back tomorrow and add a third piece of paper. If I have time I’ll copy some of the comments for those who are following along. (You are still out there right?)

You know what? The longer the wallet remains unstolen the more I feel like my faith is restored in humanity. Most people wouldn’t take the wallet, do you agree? Here’s a question… what percentage of our population do you think would take it?

I need to think about that a bit. I’ll come back and try to answer it later.

The fact that the wallet is still there, the list is growing, and the moola is increasing makes me smile. I think Mark, Paul O and liss76 are right about removing some money. At the same time, it is true, this IS a trust experiement…removing the money does imply that you (we) think someone will take the money eventually. It would just be a shame if the money went to some shitty (for lack of a better word) character.
I would love it if you shared what people have written on the notes.

Well this is quite the turn of events, isn’t it? I haven’t checked it today (I will!) but I have been thinking about this unexpected development. What should I do with the money that’s accumulated in the wallet?

I really didn’t think this idea was going to resonate with anyone but me. I never really expected to generate any funds with this thing. I would have been happy if, by the end of it, the wallet had eleven bucks in it: my original ten with the addition of a dollar from one likeminded stranger. That would have been enough for me. But now there’s more. Much more. And that is fabulous.

Should I take the extra money out and put it aside? That doesn’t seem right. This experiment is about trust. It would be a shame if someone took it at this stage, but I need to trust my fellow man (and woman!) whether there’s $11.00 in it or $111.00.

I’m trying not to get my hopes up at this early stage. It’s best not to expect anything. I really don’t want to be disappointed, especially since so many people are playing along. I’m still trying this for a month. I don’t think it’s too lofty of a goal. Okay, perhaps a little. But it’s possible. That means it has to go until April 30. That’s the date I’m aiming for.

What do you think? Can it last that long?

I asked a question earlier in my comments. Ha. I will answer it myself since no one took the bait. :)

>”Most people wouldn’t take the wallet, do you agree? Here’s a question – what percentage of our population do you think would take it?”

I think that most people would not take the wallet. (I’m talking about this particular wallet, not a wallet found on the street etc.) And by most I mean the mass majority. But what percentage? That’s a big guess on my part, but I think that if you put 300 people in a room one of those might consider taking it if the circumstances were in their favour.

I am guessing that a very small percentage would add money and play along. I think most (more than half?) people probably think this is a silly undertaking, and not worth doing.

BUT, the comments on the letter have been very positive and totally fuel my fire. Porter, I will definitely bring back some copies of the people’s comments later today. Stay tuned!

Answer:
“Most people wouldn’t take the wallet, do you agree? Here’s a question – what percentage of our population do you think would take it?”

I would have said (and still think) 10% or more of the population would take the wallet (without a note encouraging them to look inside).

This whole experiment made me think about an old friend of mine who approached an ATM where there was a $50 in the machine which was obviously forgotten by the customer before her. She took the money and never reported it to the bank. It was discussed amongst a group of about 20 people that evening when she met up with us and the majority of the group said they would keep it and not report it to the bank. I was shocked and disappointed by this because that money could be returned to the owner as the bank would have records I’m sure. I wouldn’t even consider keeping the money.

I am an honest person and I am proud of this and I live an honest life. It’s a shame that more don’t….doesn’t mean I believe others are all that honest. Perhaps I need to work on trust and forgiveness.

i’m talking about wallets in general. in this instance i think the numbers are skewed the opposite way, that people who might normally be happy to take ‘lost’ money would actually leave/add to this stash.

Then another balloon was blown up, and everyone added air to it – and nobody could know how even more beautiful it was and how happy it made people feel, until it was so inflated -then someone popped it.

I think you described that pretty well Marla. I’m heartened by the knowledge that a lot of people ended up sharing my hope and my optimism, and were willing to trust. I wasn’t alone. That’s very cool in my books.

The outcome is a little sad, I know, but all in all I would say this was still a fairly successful experiment. A wallet full of cash was out in the open for ten days… potentially seen by hundreds of people. I’d say that’s not entirely bad.

I read this only two days past the last posting here.
That puts it on a Friday, a Friday with a 13.
(Heard this morning that, in Italy, 13 in not a bad luck number, but rather a good luck number; this contrasted (presented as a foil to) with the fact that for ‘pagans’ — pre-Christians — 13 was also a good luck number, and that it was the Church that in one of its attempts to stamp out un-christianity, transformed 13 into a bad luck number)
When I first heard of the project, the first wallet had flown.
I came across the wallet project on the (first) CBC interview … and was fascinated. I meant to go by and visit every day, but real life intervened…
So when I finally catch up, fate has chewed it up and done whatever with it.
Perhaps it’s for the best,
Perhaps it’s for the worst.
(the best lent a helping hand, and the worst …)
Any chance of another try?

Apologies for referring to the Trust Experiment as
the wallet project … but I couldn’t resist … given that the ultimate recipient of close to $100 has rendered the whole experiment into little more than an exercise in tax collection; no matter how lofty the ideals, how fascinating the exercise in sociology (or societal analysis), or how valid the need to teach the value, and need, for trust.
Dozens or hundreds of people paid homage to the thought,
certainly thousands were touched by the effort,
and tens or hundreds of thousands knew of the expirement (ok, experiment, but what first came out seems apropos) …
yet it took only one to pierce the trust and take …

Another wondered what the proportion amongst us is of those who would, and do, breach the Trust …
perhaps we now know, sort of — it is
one among dozens, or hundreds, or thousands …
So many, but so few.

[…] Calendar. And come to think of it, so did the Moments of Bliss, the Sugar Fast, Couch-to-5K, the Trust Experiment, and even the cookies we baked in the car a couple of weeks ago. I don’t do it for the […]

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark. We have two daughters: Emma (19) and Sarah (17). I am the managing editor of our community newspaper, the Kitchissippi Times. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger, and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999... which makes me either a total dinosaur or a veteran, I'm not sure which! The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, family travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa for families. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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